-
Entertainment
The year 1930 ushered in a wave of risqué films, introduced Betty Boop for the first time, and showcased Disney’s earliest rendition of its most beloved canine.
The year 1930 ushered in a wave of risqué films, introduced Betty Boop for the first time, and showcased Disney’s earliest rendition of its most beloved canine.
Several years earlier, I was working on a science fiction short story where I wanted to weave in lyrics from a song released in 1928, “Button Up Your Overcoat.” However, upon selling the story, my editor advised against including the lyrics as they were still under copyright.
Had I penned the story today, I could have incorporated them since the song lapsed into public domain two years back.
If you’re searching for songs, novels, or films that you wish to use, you are likely investigating which favorites are now entering the public domain. This year, works copyrighted from 1930 (excluding sound recordings, which pertains to 1925) are now free to utilize and adapt in the United States.
As noted in our report last year, Duke Law School’s Center for the Study of Public Domain has once again compiled the most significant works that have escaped copyright’s grasp.
To begin with, as we did last year, let’s review some of the notable works that are now in the public domain this year (you can check the complete list here):
- William Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying
- Agatha Christie’s novel The Murder at the Vicarage
- The original first four Nancy Drew mysteries, starting with Secret of the Old Clock
- Fleischer Studios’ Betty Boop
- The Blondie comic strip by Chic Young
- All Quiet on the Western Front, the movie directed by Lewis Milestone
- Animal Crackers, the second film of the Marx Brothers.
- The Blue Angel featuring Marlene Dietrich
- Disney’s short film Just Fiddlin’ Around (Just Mickey)
- The songs I Got Rhythm and Embraceable You by George and Ira Gershwin
- Dream a Little Dream of Me, with lyrics by Gus Kahn, music composed by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt.
- The recording of The St. Louis Blues, featuring Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong
- Fascinating Rhythm, performed by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra
And many more.
The year 1930 marked a significant moment for risqué films that were not bound by the Hays Code, a collection of self-enforced regulations stating films must not “diminish the moral standards of viewers.” While some studios began complying with the code in 1930, it wasn’t rigorously implemented until 1934, which forbade portrayals of profanity, crime, and sexual themes, as pointed out by Duke University. An example is the film Morocco from 1930, in which Hollywood actress Marlene Dietrich dons a tuxedo and kisses another female character — an act that would have been prohibited under the Hays Code.
Betty Boop, that unstoppable flapper from Fleischer, made her first appearance in 1930 in the cartoon Dizzy Dishes, so feel free to utilize clips for your personal project. However, exercise caution — Betty Boop initially featured as a dog, with her later earrings originally resembling dog ears. Thus, it is that version that resides in the public domain, not the more modern, anthropomorphic iterations. Similarly, the original debut of Pluto (previously known as Rover) in The Picnic is the version now accessible in the public domain.
Additionally, if you’re a gamer interested in exploring these characters, consider participating in the Gaming Like It’s 1930 jam. You have until the end of January to submit your digital or analog game — just remember it must feature a work from 1930.
